Michigan

[NovaAman]

I just picked up crates from Kapenga for the cockerels. I was telling the guy there how big my biggest guy is... and he said use two crates... I am looking at the crates now, And I wonder how the hell I am supposed to get him in there? Rock, the one who looks to be a marans cross, he stands a bit taller than my knee. I kid you not. He is HUGE! I can't wait to see what his weight is once he's dressed... Why is it called dressed when you are naked-ising the thing, and stripping out its innards. Shouldn't there be a more correct term? I mean dressed sounds like you doing him up in waistcoat and breeks... Well anyway, guess we will find out tonight when I get to play, "GO CATCH A CHICKEN."

I was reading in a Chicken Mag from Hobby Farms, that one of the islands in Hawaii has the largest feral chicken population. I want to say it is the island that Chicken Grandma said she lived on... I could be wrong. Wouldn't be the first time, and certainly not the last. Well anyway, they are trying to get permission from the Gov't to use the same birth control they use on wild pigeons and Canuck geese to control the population. I did not know there was such a thing. According to the article, it is reversible, but as the population is out control, they'd like to remedy it rather sooner than later.

My kids.. I say kids, because I do not know which did it, took the chicken wire off the pachysandra. Well, off only one side, but still.. You can see where the chickens had a feild day digging in it for the bugs. The plants themselves look ok... if not a little worse for wear after the barrage of chicken toes. The coop was also closed when I got home from work, and only found 3 eggs... Great. What did this mean? That at least 5 birds had to find alternate locations to lay eggs today. Thats all I need. I am thinking I need to bungee the doors open when I leave since the kids think it is great fun to get in the runs and shut the dang doors.

I need to go out and mow the back lawn now. Not looking forward to this chore. It hasn't been mowed in over two weeks. Who knows what is creeping out there. I am going to constantly be stopping to keep them dang toads from becoming bloody fertilizer. Yuck. Need to set up the new pool tonight too. SO, it'll be ready for the HOT HOT day we are expecting on Sunday. I have every intention of sitting in the pool with my right arm in the sun in the hopes that I can get it to catch up with the left arm. I do not have a farmer tan... I have a day to night tan...

HA. I almost forgot the funny that happened. I guess its not funny really, but was kinda cute. When I was at Kapenga getting the chicken crates, there were a gazillion hens wandering around. All RIR from the looks of them. Well, this one pullet comes up to me, and is just standing there at me feet staring up at me, so, I reached and this pullet let me pick her up and stroke her. Oh man... I was THIS CLOSE to becoming a chicken rustler for real. LOL.

 

[LoveMyChicklets]

Newbie here. Just introducing myself. I have 20 chicks and 24 hatching eggs on order for August. I grew up around barnyard chickens and finally moved where I have some space to raise my own. My four kids are excited...my husband a little hesitant. Glad I found this Michigan link! I am gathering supplies ad advice! I live in te thumb area.

I FOUND A NEIGHBOR, I FOUND A NEIGHBOR! Yay! Nice to see someone close to me here now too.

 

[RBahmer]

I just picked up crates from Kapenga for the cockerels. I was telling the guy there how big my biggest guy is... and he said use two crates... I am looking at the crates now, And I wonder how the hell I am supposed to get him in there? Rock, the one who looks to be a marans cross, he stands a bit taller than my knee. I kid you not. He is HUGE! I can't wait to see what his weight is once he's dressed... Why is it called dressed when you are naked-ising the thing, and stripping out its innards. Shouldn't there be a more correct term? I mean dressed sounds like you doing him up in waistcoat and breeks... Well anyway, guess we will find out tonight when I get to play, "GO CATCH A CHICKEN."

I was reading in a Chicken Mag from Hobby Farms, that one of the islands in Hawaii has the largest feral chicken population. I want to say it is the island that Chicken Grandma said she lived on... I could be wrong. Wouldn't be the first time, and certainly not the last. Well anyway, they are trying to get permission from the Gov't to use the same birth control they use on wild pigeons and Canuck geese to control the population. I did not know there was such a thing. According to the article, it is reversible, but as the population is out control, they'd like to remedy it rather sooner than later.

My kids.. I say kids, because I do not know which did it, took the chicken wire off the pachysandra. Well, off only one side, but still.. You can see where the chickens had a feild day digging in it for the bugs. The plants themselves look ok... if not a little worse for wear after the barrage of chicken toes. The coop was also closed when I got home from work, and only found 3 eggs... Great. What did this mean? That at least 5 birds had to find alternate locations to lay eggs today. Thats all I need. I am thinking I need to bungee the doors open when I leave since the kids think it is great fun to get in the runs and shut the dang doors.

I need to go out and mow the back lawn now. Not looking forward to this chore. It hasn't been mowed in over two weeks. Who knows what is creeping out there. I am going to constantly be stopping to keep them dang toads from becoming bloody fertilizer. Yuck. Need to set up the new pool tonight too. SO, it'll be ready for the HOT HOT day we are expecting on Sunday. I have every intention of sitting in the pool with my right arm in the sun in the hopes that I can get it to catch up with the left arm. I do not have a farmer tan... I have a day to night tan...

HA. I almost forgot the funny that happened. I guess its not funny really, but was kinda cute. When I was at Kapenga getting the chicken crates, there were a gazillion hens wandering around. All RIR from the looks of them. Well, this one pullet comes up to me, and is just standing there at me feet staring up at me, so, I reached and this pullet let me pick her up and stroke her. Oh man... I was THIS CLOSE to becoming a chicken rustler for real. LOL.

 

[NovaAman]

Ok... My lawn mower has officially taken a chit. It is smoking out the engine... I am not even 1/8 done with the back yard, just replaced the pull string, UGH! AND today was my kids last day of school. Could the day get any better? Why yes, yes it can. Some one could drive by my house, and drop off a brand new riding lawn mower with a hitch on it for pulling my chicken tractor. AND at the same time, they could see that my floor is almost gone on my jeep, and only carpet is left, and weld in a new floor, or rivet, and then, offer to put flower boxes under my upper story windows since I am afraid of ladders... what else... HMMM.... OH, nah, I am not too greedy... those things would make my day. LOL. And a short summer break... Not 3 months of MOM I AM BORED!

 

[Juise]

Quote:

Darn birds won't even stand up if I take them out of the box...they sit there and look around like "well how the heck did I get down here?! this isn't my nest!!"

I'm sorry, but...

Awhile back, some of you were talking about teething babies. Just saw on news that the FDA has warned not to use teething gels on babies that contain Benzocaine. It can cause a rare blood disorder.

Yuck, this is why I avoid giving them anything outside of an actual emergency.

Acetaminophen, you know? The pain killer they said was the gentlest and safest for babies? Is no longer recommended by many doctors, on account of it causing asthma.

Maybe, one day I will have a little girl to unpack them for... Maybe... well, not after that flour picture

Gosh, that was nothing! That was... sort of frustrating, but also sort of cute, in a take a picture before cleaning it up kind of way. Now, a little later, when I put a short show on for them so I could finish mowing the back lawn so that Nova maybe wouldn't think I was a heathen... Well, I came back 10 minutes later, and the small one wasn't watching the show at all. She was standing on a stool, and on the floor below her?

6 eggs
1 can baking soda
1 canister raisins
1 bag chocolate chips
1/2 tub margarine
1/4 bag chips

This would make such a wonderful painting, a la William Bouguereau, my favourite painter, se below

One of my favourites, too!

I know it is cliche, but pictures don't anywhere near do justice. When you see the paintings in person, and can see the faint vein lines under the skin... Well, there are a few artists whose work I cannot stand in front of without crying, and this is one of them.

Why is it called dressed when you are naked-ising the thing, and stripping out its innards. Shouldn't there be a more correct term? I mean dressed sounds like you doing him up in waistcoat and breeks...

I am sure the pachysandra will be fine. Katalin shuts our coop and run doors all the time, as I am sure you probably picked up on when she shut us in, lol. I have to go running after her constantly when she takes off toward the coop. She will also take chickens out of the nest boxes and toss them out if anyone is in when she wants to shut the door.

Hope you find your eggs, I am still looking for a pile of 100 eggs or so around here...

 

[chicken grandma]

Quote: Hi Nova,

I think that must be the island of Kauai. That is a smaller (takes an hour to drive around it), real tropical island that was used to film the movie South Pacific. The hurricane Iniki in 1992 blew chickens out of their coops and sent them flying all over the island (literally). Then as the Island's structures were being rebuilt the chickens went feral and interbred. When we landed in the airport on that island in 2000, there were chickens in the airport parking lot. And everywhere else.

Maui had a huge deer problem (the deer hooves were tearing up the golf courses) and they had a lot of feral cats around the hotels which was kind of stinky. Again, that was in 2000. We asked them why they did not trap or hunt and the locals said that all the California people that lived on Maui lobbied for the animals not to be killed. Yes, really.

So we lived on the Big Island of Hawaii where the most Hawaiian people live and luckily they have good common sense and hunting is a popular sport. We had donkeys, sheep, pigs, goats, mongoose, game birds- like partridge, wild turkeys and those wild animals were all hunted. I don't remember much talk about season or permits. A lot of folks had guns and a few people hunted for food using spears also. Some of the kids from our church there would even use a truck or ATV to chase a pig and then jump out on top of it and slit it's throat. The Big Island of Hawaii is still rural, native and ruled by common sense.

 

[NovaAman]

YAY! Got the riding lawn mower running! Have I mowed yet? Why no, no I have not. I went to go and get a battery first off... got the wrong one, the positive and negatives were in reverse, and the man who sold me the battery told me the wrong one also. I wanted to get the right battery, and he told me no, get this one just incase... Ok... Since I didn't bring the battery the first time... SO, I ended up taking it back. The positive and the negatives were in the reverse position, and it was a 360, and I only needed a 235. They didn't have the 235, so I got the 280. Anyway, got it home again, popped it in there and it started right up, filled my garage with BLACK smoke, was awful, and shut off... DUH! Forgot to turn the throttle back down after starting. Pushed it out of the garage this time, (YES, PUSHED IT OUT, YES IT WAS HEAVY), started it back up, let it run till no smoke, and then Jace wanted a ride... decided that it was to scary to sit on my knee and ride... and I won't let him ride on the hood, and I don't have a lawn trailer... SO, no rides for him yet. BUT YEAH! I should have just put a new battery in last year, but the battery charger said it had a full charge... Apparently only as long as the charger was attached.

No I haven't finished mowing... I had to make dinner... In a bit, I have to go and catch cockerels. Any one want to help me grab and bag? LOL.

 

[NovaAman]

OH, CG, I thought that was the island you said you resided on... BUT yeah, thats the one.

 

[Stacykins]

So we lived on the Big Island of Hawaii where the most Hawaiian people live and luckily they have good common sense and hunting is a popular sport. We had donkeys, sheep, pigs, goats, mongoose, game birds- like partridge, wild turkeys and those wild animals were all hunted. I don't remember much talk about season or permits. A lot of folks had guns and a few people hunted for food using spears also. Some of the kids from our church there would even use a truck or ATV to chase a pig and then jump out on top of it and slit it's throat. The Big Island of Hawaii is still rural, native and ruled by common sense.

Gosh, the Big Island is paradise. I've traveled there a few times, stayed at the Kilauea Military Camp. I mean, Maui was nice...just way too busy and touristy. On the Big Island, it was easy to get away from the hustle and bustle, and just enjoy it all.

 

[chicken grandma]

Stacykins, yes, I stayed at Kilauea Military Camp a few times. If anyone is interested it is in Volcano, Hawaii (that is the town) and for Military and ex military it is VERY REASONABLE to stay there. It is at 4,000 ft high so it is quite cool all year round. Jacket recommended. Black Sand Beach is 1/2 hour away down the mountain. Hale Kea in Waikiki beach on the island of Oahu also serves those who are or were in service to our country. Those are two awesome places to stay at the best prices in the islands.